Good design often tackles multiple issues with one swoop, and good green design does this while helping to create a better world. The Hydroleaf is a striking design that is part bus shelter, part street light, part rain catchment system, and — get this — part water dispenser. Conceived by Iranian Industrial Design student Mostafa Bonakdar the Hydroleaf is intended to be used in developing arid regions.
The principle of the concept is as sound as it is practical. We’ve seen solar-powered area lighting for years, so why not use photovoltaic panels as a small canopy that powers LED lights below to light up the space at night.
The solar panel canopy also collects rain water like a leaf and gathers it in a tank embedded in the pole. A filter cleans the water and offers it in a dispenser at the base of the pole. We see a little red and blue button at the dispenser, so perhaps you can make some hot tea while you wait for the next bus (how the water is heated is, of course, another question). The design is certainly unique and is scalable to boot — larger versions could provide supplemental shelter, lighting, and drinking water for towns and perhaps even cities.
+ Mostafa Bonakdar
Via Ecofriend
Kind of small to be an effective bus shelter…
Agree with galestar. Sure light at night is nice, but I really want a bus shelter to get out of wind and rain. This just won’t do that.
Good idea, but overall bad execution.